Supreme Court seeks Centre's response on removal of Vaid as DGP
New Delhi, Sep 11 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought the Centre's response on a plea contending that the removal of S.P. Vaid as Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police breached the top court's directions on police reforms and amounted to "gross contempt".
Seeking the response, a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud sought the assistance of Attorney General K.K. Venugopal in the matter.
The court directed that a copy of the application be served on lawyer Binu Tamta, who is assisting the Attorney General and to senior counsel Raju Ramachandran who is amicus curiae in the case.
Vaid was removed on the midnight of September 6.
Venugopal told the court that the court has barred the appointment of acting Director General of Police (DGP) to curb the misuse of fixed two-year term for the head of police force in States and Union Territories.
Counsel Prashant Bhushan, appearing for former DGP of Uttar Pradesh Prakash Singh, told the bench that removal of Vaid was in violation of the Supreme Court directions.
He questioned the appointment of Vaid's successor Dilbagh Singh on the grounds that he had been charge-sheeted in a recruitment scam.
Advocate Shoeb Alam, who appeared for Jammu and Kashmir, told the court that the appointment of Vaid's successor was a temporary arrangement and the State has approached the UPSC with a panel of names to be named the regular DGP.
The 2006 court directions on police reforms came on a petition by Prakash Singh.
Bhushan told the court that Vaid was removed although there were no charges against him and without consulting the State Security Commission.
The court directed the matter to be listed for hearing next week.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
